Why would porcupines sleep on the ground during the day?

Question

More than once, I have come across a porcupine in the woods sleeping on the ground during the daytime instead of in a tree. They keep their nose tucked down and their long hairs provide some degree of camouflage.

You can tell they are sleeping because once they do wake up, they will scurry off very quickly.

Why would they sleep on the ground, where they are far more vulnerable to things that want to eat them, instead of in a tree?

Answer 1

Porcupines are den animals, and rarely venture far from their dens. Trees are where they find food, but they seek shelter in little hidey-holes wherever they can find them. Most of the time, their dens are on or near the ground. They'll den in hollowed out logs, stumps, gaps in rocks, etc. Sleeping in trees makes them easy targets for feliform predators.